I’ll have a field/text area selected and it gives the following error:
“In order to use these buttons you must first place your cursor in a field.”

I’m using custom system fields..  what do I need to add other than the formatting_buttons tag?

Are you sure you have the field_name attribute in the <textarea name=“field_name” .. /> tag resolving correctly?  I can reproduce this if I misspell the name attribute or, if using Form Helper, misspell the field_name attribute.

What I’ve currently got:

Should it be the short name?

If you are using a custom field in a SAEF, then what you have is correct IF indeed the textarea field has an id of ‘6’ and you follow it up with {field_id_6}</textarea>.  If you are using an SAEF with form_helper plugin, you have to have it like:

<textarea name=”{exp:form_helper:field_grabber field_name=‘field_id_6’}”  rows=“20” cols=“70”>{exp:form_helper:field_parser}{field_id_6}{/exp:form_helper:field_parser}</textarea>

although field_parser tag is optional.

You can also use the short name for the field.  The only exception is if you are using the {custom_fields} call and you have multiple textarea custom fields.  I’m starting to guess where I would have to see more code or understand the weblog structure you are implementing to be of more use.

Also, I did find out in messing with a Javascript validation on input fields, that different browsers (specifically IE in my case) interchanges the ID with the NAME input attribute if one isn’t there, where others do not.  Just to be safe, put both ID and NAME makeing them equal to the same value to test.

The full text area code is this:

Thanks for helping me out with this, it’s greatly appreciated.

I’ve not use the straight PHP method like you are showing.  I tried the exact same thing getting the same results.  I’m thinking it has to do with it being a textarea.  The Wiki doesn’t give an example of that and others have had to do special call for other non-input type=“text style fields like selects or checkboxes. Edit: that was just plain false, don’t post when tired *shake* sorry.

I’m doing some testing, but I’m there with you using this method.

Well, I’m afraid my knowledge is too limited with the php method.  My first guess is that the WIKI article is not complete as there has to be more code required other than whats posted since if I do a direct cut-n-paste and only change the term ‘weblog’ to a valid weblog short_name in my DB, it posts like it should, but the formatting buttons does not work.

In looking at the page source, clicking a button calls the taginsert js passing the current object (this), the beginning and closing tag strings.  The taginsert function first does a check against the selField variable, if fols, it complains about the cursor and exits.  When the page loads with the code from the WIKI article or I mirrored yours, the selField variable is false, so it will always pop the error if a button is clicked.

I’m trying to figure out what sets the selField variable to false.

OK, figured it out and had nothing to do with the PHP.  selField variable is set to the field name which the javascript uses to get the field’s value and append the tag(s).  To set this variable,you must add the attribute:

to the form field tag.  In your case that means:

This took me too long to figure out… I’m too tired.

You are friggin brilliant.  I honestly never would have figured that one out.

You should edit the wiki entry and update the code sections.

Funny when it’s the really small stuff isn’t it?

Done, at bottom of Standalone Form-Hardcoding wiki article.